Cryo-EM structure of a functional monomeric Photosystem I from Thermosynechococcus elongatus reveals red chlorophyll cluster.
Coruh, O., Frank, A., Tanaka, H., Kawamoto, A., El-Mohsnawy, E., Kato, T., Namba, K., Gerle, C., Nowaczyk, M.M., Kurisu, G.(2021) Commun Biol 4: 304-304
- PubMed: 33686186
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-021-01808-9
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:
6LU1, 7BW2 - PubMed Abstract:
A high-resolution structure of trimeric cyanobacterial Photosystem I (PSI) from Thermosynechococcus elongatus was reported as the first atomic model of PSI almost 20 years ago. However, the monomeric PSI structure has not yet been reported despite long-standing interest in its structure and extensive spectroscopic characterization of the loss of red chlorophylls upon monomerization. Here, we describe the structure of monomeric PSI from Thermosynechococcus elongatus BP-1. Comparison with the trimer structure gave detailed insights into monomerization-induced changes in both the central trimerization domain and the peripheral regions of the complex. Monomerization-induced loss of red chlorophylls is assigned to a cluster of chlorophylls adjacent to PsaX. Based on our findings, we propose a role of PsaX in the stabilization of red chlorophylls and that lipids of the surrounding membrane present a major source of thermal energy for uphill excitation energy transfer from red chlorophylls to P700.
Organizational Affiliation:
Laboratory for Protein Crystallography, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan.